Dancing with the Devil

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Seven

The early afternoon air was crisp and cool as Audrey stood upon her back porch and surveyed her land. The cream-colored lace dress she wore was beginning to itch slightly but she was loathe to take it off. Today had been one of the very best days of her life and she wanted to keep it going for as long as she could. 

When Audrey and Alexander had gotten married there hadn't been any guests and they had simply signed paper at the courthouse back east and listened to a judge say a few words about the sanctity of marriage. It had been necessary because their families had been gone and there'd been no one to invite. 

Audrey had wanted something different with Ance. She'd wanted a small affair with their friends and with Penelope. She'd wanted to stand up with Ance and claim him hers for everyone to hear. The white tent and flickering lights were still set up in the yard and Audrey could hear voices laughing and talking as the wedding guests milled around and waited for the new husband and wife to make an appearance to the after party. 

Speaking of her husband....

Audrey felt her strong arms snake around her middle and she was pulled back into his broad chest. She breathed in the scent of witch hazel, hay and horses and sighed as she relaxed against him. 

"Let's never, and I do mean never do anything like that again," Ance growled against her ear. 

Audrey felt her body tremble as his breath washed over her. It seemed that the last couple of months here on the ranch together every day had done nothing to ease her passion for this man nor his for her. 

"I know you didn't want all of this, Ance, but thank you for letting me have it."

"Yeah, yeah. If there's one thing I know about women, it's that you're all nothing but trouble." 

Audrey smiled and turned her head to look up at him. He'd trimmed up his beard, though the stubble was still thick on his face and his scar stuck out even more sharply, adding to his ruggedly handsome appeal. "You should have run while you had the chance. Now you're stuck here forever." 

Ance chuckled. "There's no place I'd rather be stuck, I reckon." 

Audrey snuggled up tighter into his embrace and sighed with sheer happiness. It had taken her physical injuries a good solid six weeks to heal. Both she and Penelope were plagued with nightmares quite often and more often than not Ance and Audrey found themselves making room for Penelope in the middle of them on their big bed, but things were getting better. 

Three months had passed since Rodger's attack and Penelope was having fewer nightmares, and Audrey was finally beginning to stop looking over her shoulder every five minutes certain that someone was after her. 

Ance had been a rock during it all. Yes, a grumbling, growling, overprotective, possessive, brooding rock, but a rock just the same. And if Ance weren't grumbling, growling or brooding as he remained possessive and overprotective, then Audrey would assume something must be terribly wrong with the man. 

God, how she loved him. 

Her reasons for waiting three months to have their wedding weren't purely because of her injuries or nervousness over another attack, there had also been fear. Fear that Ance would realize he couldn't be tied down to the ranch, that he'd realize he'd bitten off more than he could chew and be miserable here. 

But that hadn't happened. 

Ance seemed quite content and happy here with her and their daughter and for that Audrey was beyond grateful. He rode the fields and helped with the horses and only complained when asked to go into town--something he hated doing with a passion.